ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Dispatch: India Vs South Africa Promo Causes Outrage; Pre-Seeding In Focus

Zimbabwe continued their dream run at ICC T20 World Cup 2026, stunning co-hosts Sri Lanka by six wickets in Colombo on Thursday (February 19) to finish unbeaten in the league phase and as Group B toppers. The Chevrons will take on West Indies in their Super Eights opener in Mumbai on February 23.

The Windies themselves finished with four straight wins in the group stage, beating Italy by 42 runs at the Eden Gardens in match 37. Later in the evening, the Rashid Khan-led Afghanistan bowed out of the tournament with an 82-run thrashing of Canada in Chennai.

With that, here is a glance through some of the other major talking points that emerged from the T20 World Cup:

Australia's Sombre Sayonara

Australia will seek to sign off from one of their most disastrous World Cup campaigns on an upbeat note when they face Oman in their last outing of this year's 20-over showpiece in Pallekele on Friday. The injury-hit Aussies are already eliminated from tournament, with their defeat to Zimbabwe ripping the campaign apart.

So much so that selector Tony Dodemaide announced a "forensic review" of their performance once the players return to the country. Oman too have struggled significantly, losing all three of their group matches by big margins.

Star Sports Ad Sparks Sharp Reactions

Even as India gear up to take on South Africa in their Super Eights opener, host broadcaster Star Sports' promo for the match has not gone down well among many cricket lovers in India and abroad. The advertisement shows a South African fan taking the only cupcake on the table just in time before the Indian fan.

In response, the Indian mocks him by bringing up 2024's T20 World Cup, where South Africa lost to India, and also taunts him for his team choking in crucial World matches in the past. The South African fans are taking the ad as a jibe at their country as their President Cyril Ramaphosa is affectionately called 'Cupcake'.

Abhishek Sharma's Hat-Trick Ignominy Under Lens

Abhishek Sharma was the talk of the town before the T20 World Cup, and fans were expecting the World No.1 batter to take the tournament by storm. But contrary to everyone's expectations, the opener is having a horror run, having registered three ducks in the matches he has played (against the USA, Pakistan, and the Netherlands).

The sudden dip in form has led to a plethora of reactions, with the legendary Sunil Gavaskar believing that the southpaw is struggling to cope with the weight of expectations. "With his shot range, he needs to spend time in the middle. He cannot try to hit a boundary or six on the first ball of his innings. If the big shots come, fine. But he shouldn't force himself to play the big shots across the line," Gavaskar said on Star Sports.

Pre-Seeding Causes 'Imbalance'

The International Cricket Council's (ICC) pre-decided seedings for the top eight sides (as per T20I rankings) have led to a unique situation in the Super Eights: The four unbeaten teams in the opening stage — India (Group A), Zimbabwe (B), West Indies (C) and South Africa (D) — are all slotted in the same group, while the runners-ups (Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England and New Zealand) are clubbed together in the other one.

The ICC had perhaps not bargained for Australia getting knocked out in the first phase and Zimbabwe finishing as Group B leaders. What we have, thus is the top four teams colliding in the Super Eights, and two of them mandatorily being eliminated from the semi-finals race.

In Other News...

On the Indian domestic cricket front, Karnataka entered the Ranji Trophy final after a 11-year hiatus, advancing by virtue of a first innings lead from their drawn semi-final match against Uttarakhand in Lucknow. Karnataka will face Jammu and Kashmir in the title clash at Hubballi from February 24.

The decision to move the final to Hubballi has been taken to further speed up the ongoing safety enhancement works at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. “KSCA had the option of hosting this prestigious final either at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, or at the KSCA Hubballi grounds.

"After careful evaluation and detailed consultations, the Association, in coordination with the BCCI, has taken a considered and strategic decision to stage the final at Hubballi,” said Vinay Mruthyunjaya, the KSCA official spokesperson.